Young Brits have TWICE as many sexual partners as their parents

SMOOCH: Young Brits have TWICE as many sexual partners as their parents [GETTY]

Young Britons today have twice as many sexual partners as their parents, according to new research.

Posh medical journal The Lancet looked at the sexual habits of people in Britain over the last 25 years.

They found that people in their 20s are losing their virginity earlier and sleeping with double the number of partners as their parents. However, they are having LESS sex than their parents' generation.

This is because relatively fewer people in their 20s are married or in stable relations than a generation ago.

Current studies show that men and women on average have sex just less than five times a month - 4.9 for men and 4.8 for women. However, their parents' generation were at it far more frequently - 6.2 times a month for men and 6.3 times for women.

KINKY: Parents are having sex more often than their kids [GETTY]

Women have an average of 7.7 sexual partners between the ages of 16 and 44, whereas the figure for men is 11.7 partners.

This is DOUBLE the figure from 25 years ago in the case of women who had an average of just 3.7 partners.

The change in the figure for men isn't quite as stark as they had an average of 8.6 partners a generation ago.

And, far more women are coming out as lesbians. A generation ago, just 1.8 per cent of women said they were gay - less than one in 50 of the population. This figure had shot up to 7.9 per cent of women in the new study.

Again, the figures for men were lower. A generation ago, 3.6 per cent of men said they were gay, compared to 4.8 per cent now.

It seems we are more sexually adventurous than our parents, but only in some areas. There has actually been a slight drop in the number of adults enjoying oral sex as 77 per cent did in a generation ago, compared to 75 per cent now.

But anal sex is far more popular with both sexes with the men's figure has gone up from 12 per cent to 17 per cent and the figure for women has gone up from 11 per cent to 15 per cent.

The Lancet study showed that we carry on having sex more in later life. The survey found that 42 per cent of women and 60 per cent of men are still sexually active between the ages of 65 and 74.

Research from sex toy firm Lovehoney found that women in particular enjoy sex more as they get older.

It found that women with the highest sex drives are aged between 35 and 44, with 17 per cent rating their libido as 10 out of 10.

More than a third of women in the same age group are having sex two to three times a week and a fifth four to six times a week.

More than three-quarters of women in this age group are satisfied with their sex lives.

“Many women do find their arousal levels actually increase with age, and that they peak sexually in their mid-30s to 40s”

Annabelle Knight

One factor in the high levels of sexual satisfaction in middle-aged women is the hit erotic novel Fifty Shades Of Grey. Of those who have read the book, 47 per cent say that it has actively influenced their sex lives.

Previous research appear to indicate that women peaked sexually at 28 and men at 31, but this new study suggests the true figure for women is at least seven years later.

Celebrities in the 35 to 44 age group appear to confirm the trend. Hollywood beauty Cameron Diaz, 41, said she had enjoying the best sex of her life as she has got older.

She said: "I love physical contact. I have to be touching my love, like, always. It's not optional."

Sex toy retailer Lovehoney polled 2,100 men and women ranging in age from 18 to over 65. The aim was to find out how happy people are with their sex lives, how often they have sex and how libido is affected by age.

WATCH: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY TRAILER

Sex and relationship expert Annabelle Knight, who has her own range of sex toys with Lovehoney, said: “Many women do find their arousal levels actually increase with age, and that they peak sexually in their mid-30s to 40s.

“I think the popularity of Fifty Shades Of Grey indicates a sensual appetite, particularly in older women, and has enabled women to feel more connected with their sexuality.”